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How to Wear Threader Earrings

Have you seen threader earrings all over IG and wondered how you can get the look? Read on to learn how to effortlessly elevate your ear style with threader earrings. Whether you have a single piercing or multiple, delicate threader earrings are versatile and add a touch of shine to your look. At mazi + zo, we adore threader earrings for their flash-without-flashy vibe, comfort, and easy cool. There are so many ways to wear them and we hope this guide gives you new ideas for how to style your threader earrings for day and night. We’ll give you ideas for how to wear threaders in just one piercing and also ways to wear threaders across multiple piercings. 


What are Threader Earrings?

Threader earrings, also known as "ear threaders" or simply "threaders" are everywhere lately and you might already have some! (If you need help choosing threaders, check out our Guide to Choosing Threader Earrings.) Threader earrings feature a long, slender chain with a stick post seamlessly integrated at one end and some kind of charm or design at the other. You’ll see why they’re called threaders when we get to styling!


How to put on Threader earrings

Threader earrings are easy to put on. You hold the earring by the post (the end that does not have a charm,) and gently thread it through the ear from front to back*. Once the earring is in place, you can adjust the length by pulling more towards the back or front. We recommend using a rubber stopper to secure your threaders, especially if the threader charm is a little heavy, or your piercing is a little stretched. mazi + zo ships every pair of threaders earrings with 4 rubber stoppers so you have backup. Also, because there are complicated ways of wearing threaders that require stoppers to maintain the look. But we’re going to start with easy styling!

*sometimes we do it from back to front, too. Keep scrolling.


How to Style Threader earrings in one piercing

The approach we described above is the simplest way to style threader earrings. You can choose to keep the chain in front the same length as the chain and post in back, you can keep the threader long in front (we love this for drama,) or put most of the chain in back so the threader looks more like a delicate drop earring from the front. If you’re wearing a threader earring long in front, it’s really important to use rubber stoppers because the earring is heavier in front and can fall out. When the earring is long in the back, there’s not much risk because the charm end won’t go past the front of your lobe.

In addition to style, a practical advantage threaders have over studs and hoops is that nothing pokes you when you lie down! You don’t have to wear threaders as a pair, either - you can wear a threader on one side and a stud or hoop on the other for a modern take, and if you do wear a matched pair, you don’t have to wear them at the same lengths. Have fun with it! 

 

How to Style Threader earrings in two piercings

If you have two piercings, you’ve got even more threader styling options! Also, when you stitch a threader through more than one piercing, you can skip the stoppers with very little risk! We don’t recommend sleeping with your jewelry on, but if you do, threaders are soooo comfortable because there aren’t any posts or ear backs getting in the way of comfortable sleep. Don't forget, your left and right ear looks don’t have to match at all!

  • Mix with a stud, hoop, or drop - You can always combine threaders with other earring styles to mix things up, the same way you might wear a statement earring in front and a smaller stud behind. You can wear the threader earring in one piercing and a stud or hoop in the other, and it doesn’t matter which goes where! It might feel more natural to put the threader in front like you would with a big hoop and sometimes we like to put the threader in the higher piercing with even ends so the overall effect is shorter. It’s ok to wear a drop that’s longer than the threader it’s paired with, or vice versa. Really, anything goes!
  • Whip Stitch - If you start the threader in your first piercing and pull it through so the post end is longer, you can insert that loose post through the front of your second piercing and you’ll see a diagonal bit of chain wrapped around your lobe between the two piercings. That’s called a whip stitch in standard sewing. Variations on this one include starting from the back instead of front and also leaving a loose loop between the two piercings rather than pulling it flush with your ear lobe. If you leave some slack between the piercings, you will want to use stoppers in back to secure the loop length; put one behind your first and second piercings (the last will take care of itself!)
  • Running Stitch - This starts like the Whip stitch because you push the threader through the front of your first piercing but then switch to pull it through the back of your second piercing so the line between the two is hidden and the post end will end up in front of your ear instead of behind. We think it looks even cooler if you start from the back of your first piercing and then go through the front of the second. When you thread it this way, a bit of delicate chain displays in the front and looks like a very thin dash (what sewers call a running stitch.) You can also leave some slack in that “stitch” to create a swag and you’ll get more movement (use stoppers behind your second and third piercings.) You can mix up either of these by starting at the top instead of the bottom, so the charm ends up higher than the post end.
  • More is more: we love seeing two threaders in one ear and you can adjust the lengths for whatever look you’re after! And they don’t have to be the same threaders! mazi + zo sells our threader earrings as both singles and pairs to give you the most options.

How to Style Threader earrings in three piercings

  • More mixing - Try any of the ideas above in combination with another stud, hoop, drop, or threader. It really doesn’t matter which piercing gets what - the threader can sit between two studs or on either end of the look. And if you use one threader in two piercings, a hoop or stud can go before or after.
  • Whip stitch - You'll get a second stitch with three piercings! If you pull the threader through so the charm is very close to your ear, you’ll have enough chain to drape between one or both of your piercings.
  • Running stitch - this one gets a little interesting because you can start from the front and still see that little dash “earring” in between. You start front to back in your first piercing, then thread through the back of the middle hole, and then the front of the last piercing. Again, you can do this top to bottom, too and use stoppers if you want that dash to drape a bit. Variation: we have a friend who likes to skip over her middle piercing for a longer “dash” and it looks very cool.
  • More is more: we’re not mad when we see three threaders together. You can have even more fun with the lengths and you can wear three different designs if you like. That's why we sell singles.

How to Style Threader earrings in four or more piercings

We think you get the idea ;). Any combination of these will work; you’ve got soooo many options.


Threaders aren’t just for lobes!

One more style we love: threader earrings worn up high, in a helix piercing. Ultra cool.



We hope you’re feeling inspired to try something new and if you’re looking for more, we’ve got tons more examples in our IG feed. You can contact us any time with questions and we’d love to see what you come up with, too, so please tag us when you post your threader styles!


Ready to try?

>>how to choose threader earrings